Caroline and the Christmas Wishes
by mitch1
Summary: Caroline and Richard frivolously make Christmas wishes to a Macy's department store Santa. But sometimes a little Christmas magic can make wishes come true.
1. Default Chapter

**Caroline and the Christmas Wishes**

Written by Mitch

Email: mitch_work1@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Chapters: 5

Summary: Caroline and Richard frivolously make Christmas wishes to a Macy's department store Santa. But sometimes a little Christmas magic can make wishes come true.

Author's notes: Bits and pieces of various episodes are referenced in this story, it doesn't follow the timeline of the series. Caroline and Richard have yet to meet, Jeannie, Caroline's colorist, quit just one month before the story, and Caroline has just broken up with Joe because he cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend Lisa. A lot of dialog from the "Caroline and the Red Sauce" is included in this story as well as bits from other episodes, for which I take no credit. Characters' thoughts are in _italics_.

Chapter 1

Caroline was working industriously on some greeting cards at her desk in her apartment. One look at the apartment left no doubt that it was the holiday season. By the window, a large decorated Christmas tree was lit up. There were garlands, wreaths, ornaments, festive plants, and other Christmas decorations everywhere – on and above the kitchen counter, on the stairway railing, the living room chest – basically, every horizontal and vertical surface was decorated in Caroline's typical cheerful style. 

But Caroline herself was not so cheerful. For one thing, her colorist Jeannie had quit a month ago, to be with her husband in Chicago. That had left her scrambling, just to keep from falling too far behind in her daily "Caroline in the City" strip and greeting cards for Del's company, Eagle Greetings. But the extra work only caused Caroline to be busy and irritable. What really depressed her was her breakup with Joe, the young veterinarian, who had just admitted that he had cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend, Lisa. To make matters even worse, she had already boasted to her mother that she was bringing her doctor boyfriend (he was a doctor – technically) back with her during her annual holiday visit to Peshtigo. Caroline had told her mom that 'cause she and the other relatives were always pestering her to get married, quit her job, and have children (preferably in that order), and it seemed like a good way to shut them up – at least temporarily.

Despite the looming deadline, Caroline just sighed and looked at the blank pad of paper in front of her. _"Maybe I should just color in some cards while I'm waiting for ideas for my strip to percolate"_ thought Caroline.

At that moment, Annie walked through the door. "Hey, Care."

"Hey, Annie." Despite her depression, Caroline smiled when she saw her best friend.

"I'm free 'til tonight's performance of "Cats". Wanna go do some Christmas shoppin'?"

"Sorry, Annie. I don't feel like it."

"Oh, c'mon! It'll do you good. Deep down, you knew you and young Doctor Joe would break up eventually. He's in his twenties! He's not ready for the kind of deep, committed, lasting relationship that you want."

"I know, Annie, I know. But it still hurts. Besides, he was the one who started all the talking about love and commitment – actually, he did that a little too soon."

"Yeah… but he's in his twenties. He'll talk about love and commitment one day, the next day you find out he meant he's getting a puppy… C'mon, let's go! I haven't found the 'breakup depression' yet that couldn't be cured by a little serious shopping."

Caroline cracked a small smile. "You might be right." Then she shook her head. "No, no, no. Since Jeannie left, I've been really busy. I have all these cards to color, and I have to draw some strips for next week."

Annie walked over to the desk. "Let's see what you got." Eying the blank pad of paper, she cracked "Umm… Blinding snowstorm. Very Christmas-y."

After the last remark, Caroline snapped "Look, with everything that's been happening, I've been a little blocked lately. And your interruptions aren't helping!"

"Whoa, Caroline…! Chill. Maybe… maybe going to the stores and seeing the decorations and kids with bright faces will give you some ideas for you strip. Or maybe seeing two moms fighting over the last robo-transformer or whatever's the hot toy this year will. You never know."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Annie. Maybe you're right. Let's go."

******

Richard was at the end of his rope (and his money). Despite his talent, Richard had gone months without finding any work that utilized his artistic skills, and he was one step away from being evicted from his apartment. Desperate, he decided to get a meaningless job during the holidays at Macy's. He was assigned to work in the gift-wrapping department with Melody Fife, a mousy middle-aged woman who was proud of her "empire" at Macy's. Richard had a poor attitude towards his work and towards Melody, and it showed.

Outwardly, Richard made an attempt to be pleasant to a customer. "That was number three. Excellent choice, sir." But his actual thoughts were revealed as Richard muttered while filling out a form. "Perhaps the recipient will be so dazzled by it, he won't notice you bought the cheapest wallet in the store." Richard handed the receipt to the customer and he walked away.

A suspicious Melody queried "What did you just say to that customer?"

"I said 'Have a merry Christmas and thank you for shopping with us'".

"That's not what it sounded like."

"I don't care."

As Richard began to clumsily wrap a box, an impatient Melody took over and demonstrated.

"No, no, no, no. Corner to corner, fold, tuck, and tape. That is how we wrap."

"Does it really matter?"

Melody proudly announced "I invented that fold. It is called the Melody Fife right end fold."

Richard was not impressed, and made a snide remark. "You share your life with a lot of cats, don't you?"

As Richard finished wrapping the box, he picked up the receipt to attach to it – which caused a shocked Melody to respond.

"Oh, dear god, man, what have you done?"

"Obviously something pretty bad for me to end up working here."

An exasperated Melody picked up the receipt. "This is the buff copy of a wrapping slip. When you ship a gift, the buff copy has to be sent to accounting. Buff to accounting, green to shipping, periwinkle to the customer, and canary yellow for our files. Why is this so hard to remember?"

Richard quipped "Maybe this is a good time to tell you I'm color blind."

Still exasperated, Melody replied "Mr Karinsky, you have a very snotty attitude, and that is going to hold you back." With that, she walked away temporarily.

Richard muttered, incredulously "You mean there's 'back' from this?"

A burly cop walked up to the gift wrapping counter. "Excuse me, hello?"

Not seeing who it was, Richard gave his usual rude abrupt answer. "Yeah, yeah, hang on." But when he looked up, Richard became much more polite. "Uh, officer."

The cop put a teddy bear on the counter. "I need this teddy bear wrapped."

"There was a whole table of these already wrapped upstairs."

"No, see, I put this diamond ring on a ribbon around its neck. Then when my girlfriend opens it, with any luck, I'm engaged."

Richard awkwardly joked "How could anyone refuse you, you carry a gun."

The policeman growled "What's that supposed to mean?"

Richard, very subserviently, tried to explain. "I just... meant that you carry a gun. I was just trying to be funny. Get it?"

Their awkward conversation was interrupted by a call on the cop's walkie-talkie.

hiss "Number seven two eighty-six in progress, thirteenth and seventh."

The cop replied "Ten-four". He turned and glared at Richard. "I'll be back. A gift wrapper from another store did a lousy job, so I'm going to go shoot him." Seeing Richard's frightened response, he added as he left "See? I can be funny too".

******

Caroline and Annie had chosen to shop at Macy's. So far, Annie's plan to either lift Caroline's spirits or give her ideas for her strip wasn't working. As Annie passed the gift wrap department and heard Richard snottily mutter to a customer, she got an idea.

"Caroline! Look, see that guy?" said Annie, pointing to Richard.

"Yeah… he's sorta cute, but he's not my type, sorta nerdy. He's not the one to make me forget Joe."

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean… He obviously is here only to earn a little money and hates his job… Let's play with his head." Annie smiled devilishly. "You might get an idea for your strip."

Caroline's mood lightened a little "It could be fun."

After finding suitable "gifts", Caroline and Annie approached the counter.

Melody politely enquired "May I help you?"

Annie responded, pointing to Richard. "Uh, yes, actually, we want that boy."

As Melody walked away and Richard walked over, Annie smiled innocently. "We have a few things that need to be wrapped." That was the cue for them to display a red bowling ball and a potted cactus and put them on the counter.

"Ohh… Why do I always get the…"

Caroline smiled sweetly and interrupted Richard in mid-insult. "Oh, I'm sorry. It was her idea. We just wanted to have a little fun."

Richard was oddly attracted to the cute redhead so opposite in demeanor to himself. He made a show of his disdain, slapping a bow on each item, which upset Melody greatly.

"What are you doing? The bow never touches the gift directly. Bow, paper, box, tissue, gift."

Richard immediately responded "Window, push, pavement, splat, relief."

Caroline giggled, turned to Annie and smiled and nodded, thinking _"I got one good strip out of this!"_ as they left.

Richard, perplexed at himself, suppressed a smile, happy that he could make the redheaded stranger laugh. He found himself staring at her as they left.

Interrupting his reverie, the cop who brought in the teddy bear returned.

"I'm here for my teddy bear."

"Oh. Yes, of course, Officer. Right away." Richard looked around, but couldn't find the bear. "Uh...just one second." Nervously, Richard walked over and interrupted Melody.

"I am curling a ribbon, Richard!"

Anxiously, he asked "There was a wrapped teddy bear here before. Where is it?"

"Did it have a peacock blue hold slip with it?"

This annoyed Richard, who replied "I don't know what kind of bird it had with it."

"Well, if you can't remember whether it had a hold slip or not, how could I possibly know where it is?"

"Because your entire life is gift wrapping, Melody, and if you don't know where a gift is, doesn't that make your whole life a fraud?"

Incongruently, Melody revealed how out of touch she was with reality by responding "You're falling in love with me, aren't you?"

At this point, the cop demanded "Hey Stretch, where's my ring?"

Richard was desperate. "For god's sake, where is the bear? This guy has a gun and no sense of humor!"

"Well, I was wrapping a lot of them for the toy department, so if it didn't have a hold slip, maybe it's up there."

Richard stalled the cop and rushed off to look for the bear. "Uh, could you just excuse me for one moment? I just have to get a special policeman's bow. I'll be right back."

The skeptical cop asked Melody "Is he coming back?"

Melody self-confidently replied "Oh yeah."

******

A little later, upstairs at Macy's, Richard frantically ran up to the manager.

"Where are the bears?"

Misunderstanding, the manager replied "I think they played Detroit this week."

"No, for god's sake. I went to the toy department, and they said the wrapped teddy bears were up here."

Still misunderstanding Richard's intent, the manager replied "Sir, if you want to buy a bear, we have a lovely…"

"No, I don't want to buy a bear. It's for a customer. I work here."

The manager proudly responds "Well, I can tell you that this was my idea. You see, we have these underprivileged children visiting us today, and Santa is giving away the bears."

Richard shouted "The hell he is!" and ran up to the display and started rummaging through Santa's sack.

"Santa", normally very jolly, was shocked, and told Richard "What are you doing? You can't do that!"

Richard was intent on finding the bear with the ring. "Fine. Put a lump of coal in my stocking."

The manager ran out to get help. "Security! I'm getting security!"

Santa admonished Richard. "This is Santa's bundle of toys! It's sacred!"

Richard didn't care. "Hey, hey, look! Lighten up. In a month, you'll be back at off-track betting, smoking Kools."

Just then, from outside the Santa display area, a child was heard." Mommy, look! My bear has a ring!"

"The hell it does!" said Richard, running towards the child.

******

Back at the gift wrapping department, the manager was lecturing Richard.

"Mr. Karinsky, the store takes a very dim view of ripping toys from the tiny hands of underprivileged children."

Richard weakly defended himself. "It was only one child"

The manager continued. "Be that as it may. Now, our original reaction was to let you go, but Miss Fife has made an impassioned plea on your behalf. We'll give you one more chance." Melody smiled at Richard as the manager went on. "So, we're going to transfer you to another department where you can better absorb the holiday spirit. Follow me."

******

_"Ohhh..." _thought Richard morosely _"If I wasn't so desperate for money to avoid being evicted, I never would have even applied for this meaningless job at Macy's." _Richard's morose thoughts were reflected in his face, which clashed with the cheerful, adorable elf costume he was wearing. _"It was bad enough in the wrapping department – there at least I was only bored out of my mind. If that damned Melody hadn't sent the teddy bear with the ring upstairs, I'd still be there. Now I have to be bored **and **humiliated! I have to wear this ridiculous elf outfit and be Santa's assistant. That'll teach me to wish I wasn't in the wrapping department. At least I got to deal with adults, albeit sometimes impatient ones. Here I have to deal with bratty little kids. How can this job be any worse?"_

Richard's job as Santa's assistant was fairly simple. When it was the next child's turn, he led the little boy or girl to Santa, who sat on an ornate chair in his toy workshop. If the child needed help onto Santa's lap, Richard would lift them up. After each little boy or girl talked with Santa awhile, a photographer would snap a picture, then the whole process would start over again for the next child. Because of their previous encounter, Santa sometimes eyed Richard suspiciously.

Just outside "Santa's workshop" was "Santa's mailbox". Some of the younger children were too frightened to approach Santa. Waiting in line with their parents, they would just cry, and cry, and cry. So, the parents would relent, leave the line and go to the mailbox, where pens, paper and envelopes were provided. They wrote the letter for their child, and assured them that Santa would bring them what they wanted, even if they didn't tell him personally.

At first, Richard was very cynical about his elf job_. "What a racket! Greedy little kids tell "Santa" what they want for Christmas. Santa makes sure the parents overhear, and Macy's makes more profits when they buy their gifts here. Merry Christmas!!! Ka-ching!!"_

******

Annie pointed to Santa's workshop. "Look, Caroline, Santa's workshop. Maybe seeing kids talking to Santa will lift your spirits. Let's take a look."

As they passed a line of children to look at Santa, Richard approached them. "Hey! No cutting!" Then he saw who they were, and though attracted to Caroline, Richard's mood was so foul, he added disparagingly "Oh, it's you two."

Caroline protested "We weren't trying to cut, we were just trying…"

The little spat briefly caught Santa's attention. He stared thoughtfully at Caroline and Richard during the few seconds it took for the next child to approach him.

Suddenly, for some reason, the beautiful stranger irritated Richard. He didn't know her at all, maybe he was just embarrassed to be seen in the ridiculous elf outfit by her. But why her? After all, she was just one amongst many strangers at Santa's workshop. Without understanding why, his irritation triggered even more rudeness from Richard, as if he were trying to shoo her away. "Back of the line, lady. You have to wait with everyone else. Besides, aren't you a little old to be sitting on Santa's lap?"

That snapped Caroline out of her depression. Now she was just angry. "There's no need to be rude, Mister… Mister…"

"Karinsky. Richard Karinsky… Yeah, yeah, yeah, go write a letter."

"I think I will! C'mon, Annie!"

For the second time that day, Richard was perplexed by his reaction to the redheaded stranger, and watched as she left. _"Why did I do that?"_

Just outside Santa's workshop, Annie pointed to Santa's mailbox.

"There's paper, a pen, and envelopes over there."

But when Caroline actually started to put pen to paper, she hesitated – as the always did when it came to her offending someone or getting them in trouble.

"Oh, I don't know if I can do this, Annie. I mean, even though Mr. Karinsky was rude, and I am angry, I don't want to get him into hot water. What if he gets fired?"

Santa could not see his mailbox, but with his acute hearing, he could hear Caroline and Annie talking. He pondered awhile before Richard raised the next child onto his lap.

For some reason, it suddenly became important to Annie that Caroline stand up for her rights. She retorted "Pleeeease, nobody gets fired for one letter of complaint. Caroline, you're such a wimp. He'll probably get a good tongue lashing at worst, and he deserves it."

"You're right, Annie. I'm gonna do it."

Caroline's anger subsided somewhat during the time it took her to write a letter of complaint. As she finished, Annie got another idea to get Caroline into a better mood.

"Look, Caroline. We're at Santa's mailbox. Why don't you write Santa a letter telling him what you want for Christmas, while I find someone to give your complaint letter to. I know it's silly, but it couldn't hurt. And who knows…" Annie winked "…Santa may get you what you wish for."

Caroline was reluctant at first. "I don't know, Annie…"

"C'mon… by the time you're done, you won't be mad anymore."

Caroline saw what Annie was trying to do, and agreed.

"Okay, great!" Annie took the complaint letter and left.

_"What do I want…? Hmm…"_ thought Caroline. _"It won't matter anyway, so I might as well wish for something useful."_ She started to write.

"Dear Santa,

I've been a good girl this year."

Caroline giggled, and continued.

"For Christmas I would like:

A colorist for my comic strip"

_"Boy, that would really help"_ she thought. _"Should I put anything else…? Why not?"_ Caroline pondered for awhile, then wrote:

"A companion to go with me and confront"

Caroline erased 'confront' and completed the wish.

"A companion to go with me and meet my relatives in Peshtigo"

_"Ah, what the hell…? Since it doesn't matter, I might as well go all out."_

"The man of my dreams"

Caroline smiled at the last line she wrote.

"Thanks, Santa

Caroline Duffy"

Caroline sighed wistfully, folded the letter, put it into an envelope, and stuffed it into Santa's mailbox.


	2. Chapter 2

**Caroline and the Christmas Wishes**

Chapter 2

Try as he might to be a sourpuss, the more Richard watched Santa, the more his heart softened. Oh, he was skeptical of him at first, especially when kid after kid sat on his lap, and Santa just winked at the nodding parents, promising that they'd get what they want.

And sure, some kids were greedy, but most approached Santa with a mixture of wonder and awe. Santa was always smiling and in good cheer, no matter how many kids there were. This was despite the fact that some were crying, some were demanding, and some were spilling food as they sat on his lap.

A self-proclaimed grump, Richard found himself intrigued by Santa's unflagging good cheer. Despite the lack of intellectual challenge or artistic creativity in his tasks, Richard found he wasn't bored with this job (unlike gift wrapping) and the time flew by.

During their next break, Richard became alarmed.

"Uh-oh."

"What's wrong, Richard?"

"I just saw that cop in Men's Apparel and I think he spotted me."

"What cop?"

"The one whose ring I lost. The ring I was looking for when I ransacked your bag of toys… Uh, did I ever apologize for that…?"

Santa tried his best to glare at Richard, but there was still a twinkle in his eye.

"Uh… I guess not. Well, I'm really sorry, Santa. But look at him! He's scary, isn't he? And he's got a gun… Oh my god, he's walking over here? What am I going to do? Can you help me out, Santa?"

"Is that your Christmas wish, to not be bothered by the policeman?"

"You bet!!!"

"Okay, hide behind the chair, I'll take care of this."

The cop approached Santa. "Excuse me, Santa…"

"Ho, ho, ho. Can I help you, officer?"

"Yeah, I'm interested in one of your elves." He almost growled the next sentence. "I think he used to be in gift wrapping."

"Perhaps you're mistaken. The elves have been with me for a week now."

"Are you sure?"

"Would Santa lie?" Santa smiled such a smile at him, even his heart was softened.

"I guess not. Maybe it was a guy that just looked like him, I was pretty far away. They probably canned his ass, anyway."

As he walked away, Santa called out to him "Officer."

The cop stopped and turned around. "Yeah"

"Merry Christmas. And good luck with all your endeavors this holiday season."

The policeman smiled "Back at ya', Santa." He turned again and walked away.

After he left, plus an interval to just to make sure, Richard heaved a huge sigh of relief and came out of hiding.

"Thanks, Santa. I really owe you one… Hey, we still have a little time left on our break. Sorry I can't afford any more, but why don't we go to the employee break room, I'll get you something from the vending machines, my treat."

"That'd be nice. Thank you, Richard."

As they were walking downstairs, Richard remarked "You saved me, you were really convincing towards that policeman. 'Would Santa lie?' – That was inspired!"

"Well, Richard, the officer may have been misled by my words, but technically I didn't lie. The elves that I was gesturing to **have** been with me for a week. I didn't say **all** of my elves were… Santa **doesn't** lie. That's why kids believe in me."

"Wow… you're really into this Santa gig, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's how I get this Macy's gig every year. They know that during the holidays, I **am** Santa. And this job is important to me, it's the only one I can count on every year."

As the reached the break room, Richard saw a row of vending machines.

"Knock yourself out, Santa. Anything in the room is yours. Here's some change."

Richard found a table and sat down, waiting for Santa to make his selections and come over. When Santa sat down with his snack, Richard laughed.

"Milk and cookies…? I should have guessed…" Richard patted his belly. "Trying to make sure you stay in character, huh…? So, Santa…" Richard asked "What's you're real name?"

"Kris."

"Chris…?" (Richard erroneously assumed Kris used the usual spelling of his name.)

"Kris… Glenrik. Kris Glenrik."

"Glenrik…? Is that an eastern European name, Chris?"

"Actually Richard, I don't know a lot about my father, so I'm not sure."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Richard didn't pursue the topic, and changed the subject.

"So… Chris… You said you do this every year. How many years have you played Santa?"

"I've done it for so many years now, I can't even remember."

"Well, you're great in the role, Chris. But don't you ever feel a little bit guilty? I mean, perpetuating a myth so that Macy's can make higher profits. And the kids are bound to find out sooner or later that there isn't a Santa Claus to grant their Christmas wishes."

Kris became thoughtful and answered. "I'm here to spread good cheer, Richard. If Macy's makes some money, there's no harm in that. I help young children experience the joy of receiving gifts, by helping their parents find out what they want. When the children grow older, they find out that their parents have been placing 'Santa's' presents under the tree. If they're lucky, they'll learn from their parents the joy of giving, which is greater than the joy of receiving. Maybe that's why Santa's such a jolly fellow…" Then Kris looked at Richard with that twinkle in his eye. "Besides, how can you be sure that I **can't **make Christmas wishes come true…? Yours did, didn't it?"

Richard thought back to the close call with the cop, and laughed. "Maybe you're right, Chris. Maybe you're right… C'mon, we'd better get back to your toy workshop, Santa."

******

Most of the remainder of the shift proceeded as before – innumerable eager younger children came, sat on Santa's lap, and told him what they wanted for Christmas. Just before Macy's closed, one final mother with her young son approached. Richard helped lead the lad to Santa, and put him on Kris's lap.

"Why, you're a cute lad. But you don't seem very happy. What's your name, young fellow?"

"Bobby."

"So… Bobby, what would you like for Christmas?"

Bobby hesitated. He turned to his mother, then back to Kris. "I want my Daddy to come home!" he cried. "I miss him. I want Mommy and Daddy to like each other again."

Bobby's mother's heart fell to the floor.

"Isn't there some toy you'd like? A ball, a wagon, a fire truck?"

Almost bawling, Bobby replied "No…! I want my Daddy!"

Sympathetically, Kris looked directly into Bobby's eyes and answered "I'm afraid I can't do that, Bobby."

"Why not…?" Bobby wailed.

"It's beyond my power to mould the human heart. That has to come from within. Let me explain… Bobby?"

"Y – y – y – yes?"

"Is there someone at school that you don't get along with?"

"Yeah. Timmy. He's a bully."

"So, if a teacher came over and made Timmy shake your hand, do you think that would stop Timmy from bullying you the next day, if he had the chance?"

"N – n – n – no."

"And why not?"

"C – c – 'cause his heart hasn't changed?"

"That's right, Bobby. And why hasn't it changed?"

"'Cause it has to come from within?"

"That's right, Bobby. Maybe I could arrange for you father to visit you…" Kris looked up, and saw Bobby's mother nod. "…but that's not really all you want, is it?"

"No, Santa."

Kris smiled. "Cheer up, Bobby. I might not be able to mould the human heart, but I can nudge it a little. I can let both your mommy and your daddy know how much you love them both, and want them to be together…" Kris looked up again to see Bobby's mother fighting back tears and nodding. "That might help, but I can't promise anything. Okay, Bobby?"

"Okay, Santa."

After helping Bobby down, when Bobby and his mother had gotten out of earshot, Richard remarked "Boy, Chris. I didn't know Santa was a psychologist."

"Sometimes things are complicated. I can't always cheer a child up. But lying would make it worse. I just do the best I can."

From a loudspeaker they heard "Attention shoppers. Macy's will be closing in five minutes. If you wish to make any more purchases tonight, please take them to a register now."

"Oh boy! It's almost quitting time! Say Chris, you want to walk to the subway station together when we're done here?"

"That'd be nice."

"Where do you live, anyway?"

"In Brooklyn, on Bond Street."

"Bond Street… Isn't that where the Salvation Army opened up a new homeless shel-…" Richard stopped in mid-sentence. _"Oh boy"_ thought Richard. "Say Chris, I live in a pretty crummy dump, and I don't have an extra bed, just some blankets, but would you like to stay with me for awhile?"

Kris gratefully replied "Thank you. I'd really appreciate that."

_"I hope I don't live to regret this"_ thought Richard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Caroline and the Christmas Wishes**

Chapter 3

Richard and Kris were in Richard's apartment, sitting at his table, conversing. Richard continued to be fascinated by Kris, and his Santa persona.

"So Chris, let me get this straight. You said that during the holidays, you really get into to it, you **are** Santa."

"That's right."

"How far does this, this…" _"delusion"_ was the thought that Richard suppressed. "…How far does this go?"

"I **am** Santa, Richard."

"So, you're the real Santa Claus, huh? How can that be?"

"Well, there was a man who lived a long time ago upon which the myths are based. Being mortal, he died a long time ago. But his spirit lives on, in me and many like me all over the world. So, in a sense, I am Santa Claus."

"So, Chris… I mean Santa… I'm Jewish, and don't really believe in you, but if I tell you what I want for Christmas, you'd give it to me?"

"If you've been good, and it's within my power, yes. In fact, many times you don't even have to tell me, I can guess what someone wants before they even make a wish. Of course…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Santa, I heard your spiel to the kid. It's not within your power to mould the human heart, blah, blah, blah. Well, if all that's true, tell me what I want."

"I know what you think you want, Richard: Lot's of money!"

"You betcha!"

"But Richard – money is not a thing unto itself, it's just a medium of exchange. Someone would have to **want** to give you what money they have. Besides, that's not what you really want anyway."

Richard angrily replied "You old fraud, who are **you** to tell me what I really want?"

"Richard…" Kris shook his head.

Richard wanted to stay angry, but Kris was so earnest in wanting to help him, he couldn't stay mad. "You're right, Chris. Money is just a means to an end, although when you don't have it, you really miss it. Okay, I'll bite: Tell me - What do I really want for Christmas?"

"Well, let me think for a minute…"

Richard chuckled.

"What you really want is somebody – anybody – to appreciate your art. That's what's important to you. You'd like it if you could make some money at it, too."

"Well, I have to admit, I'm impressed Chris. But I don't think you have to be Santa Claus to figure that out. One look at all my paintings in my dinky apartment could have told you that."

Kris replied "I'll see what I can do. It might take awhile."

Richard smiled and shook his head. _"The well-meaning old fool"_ he thought. 

"Still don't believe, Richard…?"

Richard, not wanting to offend, just smiled at Kris.

"Okay Richard, wish for something that I shouldn't be able to guess."

"Okay, 'Santa', I would like…" _"Hmm…"_ Richard thought. _"What should I wish for…? I know… I'll wish to meet my sincere amore…"_

Richard shook his head. "No, this is too silly. You couldn't do that."

"Why…? Do you think I can't understand your wish, just 'cause it's in Italian? I answer also answer many Italian children with Christmas wishes."

A shocked Richard sputtered "How… did you know…what I was wishing for…?"

Kris just smiled at Richard's confusion, and added "Every man wants love, Richard. Despite your barbed tongue, I can tell you're a romantic, you want 'the great love'. Maybe you've already met her, Richard."

Still confused, Richard was so interested in what Kris had to say that he continued the conversation. "You mean Julia? I thought she was it, but she left me when her father made her choose between me and her three million dollar trust fund."

"No, not her. She obviously wasn't your sincere amore. Someone else, maybe someone that you've met recently."

Richard pondered that, then thought _"The pesky redhead!"_ Her image had been haunting his subconscious most of the afternoon and evening. Now that he was consciously thinking of her, he had trouble thinking of anything else. _"Only one way to cure me of this…"_ Richard thought. _"I know what I have to do."_

"Chris… I have to do something, it's going to take awhile. Why don't you sleep in my bed?"

"I can't put you out of your bed, Richard".

"No, really. I'm not going to sleep much, if at all, tonight. If I find some time to rest, the floor with some blankets will be fine for me. I just hope you can sleep with the lights on."

Kris chuckled "I've slept under **much** worse conditions, even with the lights on. It'll be no problem."

"Okay. Well, sleep tight, then. There's something I've **got** to do" Richard said, as he retrieved his tarp and paint palette…

******

Caroline had been tossing and turning all night. But for the first time in weeks, her mind wasn't on her own problems, but on someone else's.

_"I hope my letter of complaint didn't get that 'elf' into trouble. I mean, he was rude, but on the other hand, Annie and I were being a pain… I should go back to Macy's and check. Besides, he was sorta cute."_

Because she was so pressed by deadlines, Caroline resolved to draw some strips from the ideas she had gotten from Macy's, color in some greeting cards, and only then go back to Macy's the next evening.

******

"Richard… Richard… It's getting late, you'd better get up." Kris was gently nudging Richard.

"Who – who's… Oh, Chris… What time is it?" Richard rubbed his eyes, then yawned and stretched to wake himself up.

"About 10:30. You'd better shake a leg if we want to be in costume at the North Pole by noon."

"Uh… right, Chris. Did you sleep well? Was the bed too firm?"

"Compared to some places I've slept, it was like a feather mattress. I was just fine, thank you, Richard."

"Okay, I'm going to take a quick shower and be out in a sec."

When Richard emerged from the bathroom, he saw Kris examining the portrait that Richard had been painting through most of the night.

"I'm no expert, Richard, but this is quite good. You not only captured the young lady's outer beauty, but also her inner spark. You're quite talented."

"Thanks, Chris. Too bad no art museum or gallery owners agree with you."

"I'm still working on your first wish, Richard. Or should I say second, after the cop?"

"My what…?"

"You're wish to have someone appreciate you're art, and pay you for your talent."

"Oh yeah." It was then that Richard remembered their conversation from last night – and that Chris had serious problems with distinguishing reality. Still, he was quite harmless, and an infectiously jolly fellow.

"I hope you don't mind, Richard. Since you were sleeping late, I took the opportunity to look at some of your other paintings. I'm sure they're quite good, I just don't understand the more abstract works. This latest one, however, is more… more…"

"Recognizable?" Richard chuckled.

Kris replied "No, I was going to say 'saleable'. Are you going to show it somewhere and try to sell it?"

"No. I mean, it probably wouldn't sell anyway, but I intend to give this one away. I'm going to bring it to Macy's. With any luck, Red will show up again, and I can give it to her, as an apology for being rude."

Kris's eyes twinkled. "And maybe ask her out?"

"Yes… No…! I mean, why would a woman like that want to go out with me? She can afford to dress nicely and buy presents for Christmas. I can barely avoid being evicted from even this miserable hovel."

Kris smiled. _"Sincere amore"_ he thought. "I'm ready whenever you are, Richard."

"Okay, I'll be dressed in a minute, then we can go."

******

Caroline returned to Macy's the next evening. But this time, she did not browse through the aisles, or observe people to look for ideas for her strip. She marched straight to Santa's workshop.

As luck would have it, Caroline arrived just as Santa and the elves were about to take a break. She approached one of the elves.

"Sorry, lady. The North Pole will be closed for fifteen minutes. Come back with your kid then."

"No, actually I'm looking for a Mr. Karinsky. He's an elf here, or at least he was yesterday."

"Karinsky…? He got canned today. Some lady complained about him. Not that he didn't deserve to be fired, but I wouldn't wish getting thrown out on the street on anyone."

Shocked and guilt-ridden, Caroline asked "Wh – what do you mean?"

"Santa over there and Karinsky are buddies. Go figure – Santa's one of the most even-tempered and cheerful guys around, while Karinsky is one of the sourest… Anyway, Santa said, without this job, Karinsky will be evicted from his apartment on Monday."

"Oh no…!" _"I've got to do something!"_ thought Caroline. She walked off to look for the manager and plead Richard's case.

******

Caroline's pleadings for Richard were of no avail. Slowly she trudged back to Santa's workshop.

_"Great!"_ Caroline thought sarcastically. _"My life is messed up and now I just messed up somebody else's. I have to at least apologize to this Richard Karinsky. Santa's his buddy, he should know how to find him."_

Caroline dutifully stood in line with children and their parents, waiting for her turn to talk to Santa. Without a child in tow, she got several curious stares. Embarrassed, Caroline cracked "What…? I'm younger than I look."

Finally, it was her turn, and Caroline waved off the elf assistant and approached Santa.

Kris saw the redhead who had so intrigued Richard approaching him. He enquired "Ho, ho, ho… How may I help you, Miss…?"

"Duffy. Caroline Duffy… I'm looking for Richard Karinsky. He was an elf here yesterday."

"Caroline Duffy…? Oh yes, I read your letter to Santa yesterday." Reminded of her silliness, Caroline blushed. "You're also the one whose complaint stirred up a bit of trouble for a friend of mine. But it sounds like you were justified."

"That's why I'm here. I feel just awful about Mr. Karinsky. I tried, but I couldn't convince Macy's to give him his job back."

"It's not really your fault, Richard was on a tight leash due to a previous incident. Your one complaint was just the last straw that caused him to be fired."

"I still want to apologize to him, do you know where I can find him? I feel so bad that something I did will cause someone to be thrown out on the street" Caroline said.

"I happen to know his address, since he is letting me stay with him." 

"Oh…! So you'd be without a home also… I'm so sorry… What's your real name? I feel silly apologizing to Santa."

"It's Kris."

"I'm so sorry, Chris. Believe me, I really am."

"I accept your apology. I'm sure that Richard will also."

He wrote the address on a slip of paper and gave it to her. "Here you go, Miss Duffy."

As Caroline turned to go, Kris called out "Miss Duffy!"

Caroline stopped and replied "Please, it's Caroline."

"Okay… Caroline. Before you go, I have something for you."

"You – you do?"

"Yes. Please wait right here." Kris went behind his chair, retrieved a flat gift-wrapped package, and handed it to Caroline.

"Wh – what is this?"

"It's a gift from Richard. He was hoping you would return, and wanted to give you this as an apology for his rudeness. Here… open it."

Caroline started to carefully unwrap her present.

"The children are waiting, Caroline."

"Oh." Caroline ripped opened the packaged, then gasped when she glimpsed… herself. Herself, beautifully rendered in oil.

"When…? Who… did this?"

"Richard did. It took him all of last night." Pointing to the lower right of the painting, Kris added "See his signature, 'Karinsky'? He's quite talented, isn't he?"

Still astounded, her mouth gaping open, Caroline managed to reply "Yes."

After staring at the painting for a long while, Caroline said "Now I **really** feel bad. I **have** to get Richard his job back."

"Caroline… If I may, I think I have a better idea…"

"What is it, Chris?"

"You need a colorist… Richard needs a job…"

Caroline hesitated. _"I **do** feel badly about him losing his job. But he's such a sourpuss, and quite rude, too. Can I stand to be working with him every day? On the other hand, he's letting Santa stay with him, which is really sweet. And he spent all night working on a painting for me."_

Caroline also had doubts about whether Richard would even want to work for her. It was quite evident how bored he was with his duties here at Macy's, feeling that they were beneath him. So she protested to Kris "But he's so talented. Will he be happy just coloring my comic strip?"

"Yesterday he was an elf."

"Good point… Though I'm still not sure …"

"Please Caroline…?" With a twinkle in his eye, Kris added "You'd be helping out an old man."

Caroline couldn't resist. "Oh, all right. I really need the help, and he can obviously do the work. We can give it a try."

"Thank you, my dear… Oh, and Caroline?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Richard it was your idea. And don't tell him you know how desperate he is to avoid being evicted, he has his pride."

"Thanks, Chris, I will. Maybe I'll see you again, later."

Proudly carrying her painting, Caroline left the store.

Kris smiled. _"Everything's falling into place."_

"Ho, ho, ho… And what do you want for Christmas, little girl?"

******

Richard despondently looked around his apartment. _"I'll never find another job in four days… Maybe I can stay in that shelter that Chris was staying at… Oh well, one good thing about have so few possessions, it's easy to pack."_

Richard heard a soft knock at the door. "Who could that be?" he thought as he went over to answer the door.

When he opened it, he was utterly surprised to see Caroline. "You…! What are you doing here?" 

Caroline replied "Chris gave me your address."

Then Richard saw that she was carrying his painting. "You got my painting, I see." _"Maybe she got it and liked it. Maybe…"_ Richard thought hopefully. "Come on in."

"It's very beautiful. Thank you for the painting, Richard… May I call you Richard?" Richard nodded. "Richard, I think you're a very talented artist."

Richard beamed. Nothing made him happier than someone complimenting his art. "Well, Miss …"

"Duffy… Caroline Duffy."

When the name registered in his brain, Richard angrily exploded. "Wait a minute... Caroline Duffy…??!! The one who got me fired??!! What, did you come over here to gloat?"

"No…! No, I came here to apologize, Richard. I feel terrible, I didn't realize my one complaint would get you fired. I thought that they would just talk to you. I swear, I didn't…"

Caroline was so abjectly miserable about causing someone else pain, Richard couldn't stay mad at her. "It's not really your fault, Miss Duffy. The reason they fired me was because of a previous incident. And I **was** pretty rude to you. In fact, I wanted to apologize…"

"I tried to get you your job back, I talked with the manager…"

Trying to maintain some dignity, Richard responded "Never mind… that job wasn't right for me anyway." Changing away from a painful subject, he remarked "Well, Caroline, I hope the portrait's satisfactory. I painted it in a hurry."

"Satisfactory…? I love it! No one's ever painted me before. What made you spend all night painting my portrait?"

Richard **couldn't** tell Caroline the truth – that she was in his blood, that he couldn't get her out of his mind. "Well, I felt badly about being rude to you. And we artists are a strange lot you know. Once we get an idea, we can't stop until it's done."

"Well, I really appreciate it. And to show you how much, I want to pay you."

"No. It's a gift" Richard replied firmly.

"You misunderstand. I know it's a gift and will treasure it always… What I want to pay you for is a job. I want to hire you."

"For what? I can't accept your charity, Caroline."

"I'm not offering charity. I need you. I'm a cartoonist, my colorist quit a month ago, and I'm really falling behind. Perhaps you've seen my strip, it's about a young woman and her life in the city."

"Yeah…! I think I know it! She's that stringy-haired girl who's always trying on bathing suits with her mom, right?"

"No, that's 'Cathy'."

"Oops…"

"Never mind, Richard. Anyway, I can see from your painting that you're quite talented. Overqualified for the job, really. Are you sure you won't mind working for me?"

Richard replied disparagingly "I was a gift wrapper and an elf yesterday."

Caroline chuckled. "Okay, then… I work out of my apartment. Tomorrow's Friday, why don't you be there at nine o'clock. Here's the address." Caroline wrote down her address and handed it to Richard.

Then, trying not to be too obvious, she added "You must've been working at Macy's to earn a little extra cash for the holidays. Would you like an advance on your first paycheck?" Richard nodded, Caroline wrote out the check and handed it to him.

_"Yes…!"_ Richard thought ecstatically – but he remained calm, his demeanor did not betray him. "Thanks, I appreciate this."

Caroline offered her hand, they shook as she was leaving. "I look forward to working with you, Richard."

"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow… boss."


	4. Chapter 4

**Caroline and the Christmas Wishes**

Chapter 4

The two and a half weeks before Christmas were busy ones for Caroline and her new assistant, Richard. Anxious to please, Richard showed up promptly at nine o'clock that Friday morning - the only time he would ever do so. Richard soon learned that the office "routine" was anything but. Unlike a real office, people would show up at anytime, unannounced, and interrupt their work. And what a cast of characters - Del, the charming but shallow ex-boyfriend who owned Caroline's greeting card company and was always coming up with crazy schemes for money and publicity, Annie, the slutty next-door neighbor, and Charlie, Del's courier, who had several screws loose. What's worse, from Richard's point of view, was that the interruptions were hardly ever related to business. Invariably, the talk turned to personal business, and Richard was loathe to take part in any type of personal discussion - agreeing to do so only when Caroline offered him an extra two dollars an hour.

Except for one fact, Richard was as bored with his job as a colorist as he was at Macy's. He needed none of his training from the School of Visual Arts to perform his tasks. Though he tried to deny it, Richard was in love with Caroline, was in love with her from the moment that they met. Richard deeply hid his feelings, even (or especially) from himself. But sometimes, he couldn't help himself. When he was sure she wasn't looking, he would just stare at Caroline while she worked, inwardly sighing. Whenever he had an impulse to express his feelings, he reminded himself that Caroline would surely fire him if he did so. She couldn't possibly feel the same way about him, and it would be impossible for them to work together if she knew. It would be too uncomfortable for both of them. And he **needed **this job, the recent memory of how close he had come to being on the streets still haunted him.

What's more, he **wanted **this job, despite the boredom and the long hours. Richard made fun of Caroline's constant cheerfulness and need to please, but the truth was, nobody had ever cared about his well-being the way that Caroline did, not even (especially) his family. The fact that Caroline did this with everyone in her life did not negate the fact that she was the closest thing to a true friend that Richard had ever had. He didn't want to go back to a life without her.

So, to avoid any suspicion about his feelings for her, Richard would complain a little too loudly about how his work bored him, about how he was there only for the money. He would poke fun (albeit gently) at her eccentricities and her friends, and would especially enjoy trading insults with Annie. But whenever she needed him, he was there. Whining about it, but there. Working late, working weekends, even reluctantly listening to her personal problems, he was always there.

From Caroline's point of view, she had ambiguous feelings towards her new colorist. Whenever he had the chance, Richard showed off his superior education, and his consistently snotty attitude showed that he thought his job was beneath him. Richard was the complete opposite of Jeannie, her previous colorist. She was much like Caroline – cheerful, optimistic, loving fun and fun to be with. What's more, she loved her job, thought it was ideal, and would have been happy as Caroline's colorist forever if she hadn't gotten married. Richard was dour, pessimistic, and able to throw a wet blanket over any fun there was to be had. Still, Richard was a great colorist, able to do the work in less time than Jeannie, even after Jeannie had been at the job for years. He would work hard (in fact, he was often the one prodding Caroline back to work), and would work long hours and weekends, albeit with loud complaints and for double-time pay. And though Caroline would not admit it to Richard, he had helped her improve her strip. His sharp, sarcastic wit constantly kept Caroline on her toes. And his run-ins with Annie and Salty were the source for many ideas for strips.

Caroline also had to admit, there were times that she had thoughts of him as something more than just an employee. Once, when she was especially tense after several hours of work, Richard surprised her by massaging her shoulders. _"His touch was… magical."_ She shivered when she thought about it. Though he was reluctant (and she had to pay him extra), Richard did lend a sympathetic ear to her personal problems. When she had a personal problem, Caroline found it impossible to concentrate on work, and when Annie wasn't around, she needed someone to listen to her.

Yet Richard was a mystery to Caroline. While Caroline would share every detail of her life (more than he cared to know) with Richard, he never volunteered anything about his feelings, his past, his family, or his friends – if he had any. Caroline only knew of one friend that Richard had, Chris. And how close could their friendship be? They had only known each other for days, and because of work, they hardly spent any time together. Additionally, according to Richard, Chris was a delusional, albeit cheerful and harmless man.

What Caroline suspected was that beneath the dark, cynical, sarcastic exterior was a man of basic goodness, who cared about the people around him. Richard intrigued Caroline, and she was determined to dig beneath his shell to find the good within, however long it took.

Through the busy days (and nights) and weekends, Caroline and Richard had all but forgotten their silly Christmas wishes to Santa. But Kris hadn't…

******

It was the Friday before Christmas. At Macy's, Kris's eyes followed the next approaching child, but his attention was temporarily elsewhere. _"Caroline and Richard have had some of their Christmas wishes fulfilled. I'm sure they're satisfied, they got more than they expected… but **I'm** not. Things are going well between them, but Christmas is fast approaching. The way they hide their feelings, it may be **three years **before they act upon them. Hmm… I may not be able to mould the human heart, but let's see if I can nudge it to where it's going a little faster…"_

"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas! My, what a pretty little girl. What's your name?"

******

After another long day and evening of drawing and coloring, Caroline and Richard were about to call it a night.

"Well, Richard, I can't think straight anymore, I think it's about time to quit for the night… It's been two weeks, time for your first regular paycheck."

"I get paid…? President Lincoln has freed me…?" Richard cracked.

"Shuddup…" Caroline smirked. As she wrote out the check, she added "I really appreciate all of your hard work. Now this check is only for your double-time work after hours and on weekends, since I advanced you your first regular paycheck, but I've added a little Christmas bonus."

"Thank you, Caroline. Too bad I don't have any time to spend it. I assume you'll want me to work tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Richard, but yes I do. You know how much work we still have to do. And how do you think I feel? You're the one who thinks 'Christmas is a fraud perpetrated by merchants to extort the public'. I **love** Christmas…"

"Obviously" Richard interjected, looking at all the decorations in the apartment.

 "…and I haven't been able to do anything Christmas-y since I went to Macy's two weeks ago."

Richard walked to the door and put on his coat. Suddenly, for some reason, Richard overcame his inhibitions and acted upon his normally repressed feelings. He grabbed Caroline's coat, turned around and held it out to her.

"C'mon Caroline, let's go."

"Where…?" asked a puzzled Caroline.

"Rockefeller Center. We're going to sit back and soak up the atmosphere there, with the Christmas tree, all the decorations, and the ice skaters."

"But Richard… you hate that sort of thing. You don't want to go there."

"No, but **you** do. And I know you, you won't go alone. And for your information, I don't hate it, I just have no use for it… So c'mon."

"Okay, Richard." As she walked over to put on her coat, Caroline smiled a dazzling smile that made Richard inwardly glow. _"I did that"_ he thought.

******

It was a fair but chilly night at Rockefeller Center. Caroline and Richard were seated at street level. The would alternately look down, watching ice skaters in the rink below, and look up to the enormous decorated and brightly lit Christmas tree that towered above them. Caroline was as contented as… well as a kid who had gotten the toy she wanted for Christmas. She snuggled up against Richard, who after a long while, put his arm around her.

Caroline sighed contentedly. _"I never noticed before how nice Richard smells. Every so often, he surprises me with how nice he can be."_

Richard was calm outwardly, but inwardly, was near panic. _"It's hard enough to control my feelings when I'm with Caroline all hours of the day. But now that she's so close, it's – it's – it's almost impossible… Control… control… control…"_

"Richard…?"

"What…??!!" answered a startled Richard.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Richard. I just want to say I appreciate you bringing me here. It reminds me of the way Christmas used to be for me… the decorations, the happy people, snow on the ground making everything seem sparkly and clean, the only thing the relatives asking you is if Santa brought you what you wanted for Christmas."

"I thought you loved Christmas, Caroline."

"I love the Christmas season… but as for Christmas itself… well, every year I go back to Peshtigo, and see all my cousins who are happily married with kids already. My aunts and uncles brag, everybody asks me when am I gonna quit my job and settle down, have some kids. They say it in a nice way, like they're just concerned for my welfare, but it hurts, you know?"

Richard agreed, uttering one word, "family" with a tone of mild disgust.

"So, Richard, you never talk about yourself. Tell me, what are your family holidays like?"

"Now, or when I was a kid?"

"Both."

Richard didn't like talking about himself. But he couldn't see a way to get out of it, without breaking this bond they seemed to be building. And he didn't want to change the mood, Caroline seemed to be enjoying herself for the first time in two weeks.

"Now – I don't see my family during the holidays. Or if I'm lucky, ever." Caroline frowned, saddened when she heard that. "When I was young – well, my family is Jewish, but we aren't very observant Jews. Father was usually away, and mother – mother would celebrate any holiday, Jewish or Christian, but only if it was convenient."

"If it was convenient…?" asked Caroline, puzzled.

"Yeah, it took a long time for me to learn that lesson. One Christmas morning, I woke up, I ran into the living room, and mother said 'I just forgot!'"

Caroline looked at Richard with compassion, finally gaining some insight into her dark assistant. After a few seconds, she made a decision, and got up.

"C'mon, Richard. We're going skating!" Caroline grabbed his hands and tried to pull him up.

"Nooo, Caroline! I can't skate, I'd look like a fool."

"I'll teach you! And so what if you look foolish, nobody knows you here."

"We don't have any skates."

"We can rent them over there" responded Caroline, pointing.

Desperate, Richard tried another feeble excuse. "But who knows whose feet have been in those skates? It could be very unhygienic."

"Richard…! Pleeeeeeeease…!" Caroline pleaded, making doe-y eyes at Richard.

Richard gave up, knowing he couldn't refuse her.

"Oh, alright" he grumbled.

"Goody!" Caroline squealed, and they went to the skate renter's booth.

******

Having grown up in the cold climate state of Wisconsin, Caroline was a competent, if not a great skater. Just getting Richard to stand on his skates for a few seconds without falling was a challenge. Several times, when he lost his balanced, Richard grabbed Caroline and they both fell. When this happened, Richard always shook his head and grumbled, but Caroline just laughed. When Caroline got Richard to successfully stand on his skates, she took both his hands, facing him, and started slowly skating backwards.

"Okay Richard, don't do anything, just glide. Let me pull you."

They went a few feet before Richard lost his balance and fell, pulling Caroline atop him.

"Ohh!" exclaimed Richard, discouraged.

"What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"Only my dignity."

"Oh, Richard, loosen up. Everybody falls at first. You'll get it eventually, just enjoy yourself, have some fun!"

_"Actually, all this contact with Caroline **is** enjoyable"_ thought Richard. His attitude changed, Richard stopped worrying about looking foolish and started learning a little from each mistake. Soon, he was skating alongside Caroline, albeit very slowly and wobbly, and still holding her hand. He had a silly grin on his face. "Look, Caroline. I'm actually skating."

"I told you that you could do it, Richard."

They circled the rink slowly, arm in arm. Skating to the Christmas music, the decorations, the brightly lit trees above them – it all gave Caroline a feeling of contentment that she had lost the past few weeks. Happy memories of past Christmases flitted through her brain.

There were no happy past Christmases for Richard to remember. Truth be told, the festive decorations and music didn't do much for him either, he regarded it all as a bunch of commercial hype. Yet, he too was happy. Happy 'cause of his nearness to Caroline, and the joy he knew she was feeling.

"Thanks for forcing me to do this, Caroline."

"You're welcome, Richard."

Richard had the sudden urge to pull Caroline to him, embrace and kiss her – but he resisted. After skating a little more, they left and went back to Caroline's apartment.

******

After reaching her loft, Caroline unlocked her door, turned around and faced Richard.

"Thanks for taking me out, Richard. I really needed that."

"You're welcome."

Caroline looked up and said "Look, we're under the mistletoe."

"So we are" replied Richard.

Caroline closed her eyes and waited expectantly. After a few seconds, she felt Richard give her a quick peck on the cheek and say "See you tomorrow, Caroline."

She opened her eyes in time to see Richard get on the elevator and wave goodbye.

_"Damn!"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Caroline and the Christmas Wishes**

Chapter 5

The next three days were not very productive for either Caroline or Richard. Both were careful not to express it, but both had Friday's quick buss on their minds… and what might have been. Every day, the tension between them mounted

When it came time for Richard to leave, Caroline asked "So, Richard, what are your plans for Christmas?

"Oh I don't know, I'll probably just try running from the subway to my apartment without getting killed. Like every day. What about you?"

"Like every year, I'm flying to Wisconsin tomorrow, Christmas Eve, and back the day after Christmas." Hesitantly, Caroline ventured "And I was thinking…"

"Yes…?" Richard replied, suspiciously.

"I have an extra ticket, why don't you come to Wisconsin with me?"

"Why would I want to do that, Caroline?"

"Oh, c'mon, Richard, it'll be fun. You're not doing anything anyway and I'm paying for the ticket. Don't you yearn for a traditional Christmas, snow on the ground, fire in the hearth, Christmas tree in the living room, and a traditional feast on Christmas evening? My mom's a really good cook."

"And why would you pay for a ticket for me to go with you?"

Caroline, terrible at lying, tried to cover up the reason. "Oh, I just don't want you to be alone on the holidays."

"I'm not alone. I'm still letting Chris stay with me. And there's that thing that lives in the wall."

Once too often, Caroline resorted to pleading with doe-y eyes. "Pleeeease, Richard!"

"Alright, what's really going on?"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Caroline replied innocently.

"There's something going on that you're not telling me about, Caroline."

"Oh, alright… Every year I'm surrounded at Christmas by happily married relatives pressuring me to get married and have kids. Up until three weeks ago, I was dating a veterinarian, so I exaggerated a little and told Mom that I was bringing my doctor boyfriend home for Christmas. I already bought the tickets, but now…"

"But now you have no doctor and you haven't told your mother yet." Caroline nodded to confirm Richard's conclusion. Richard clucked "Caroline, why don't you just tell your parents the truth?"

"Okay, so I'm spineless and I hate to disappoint people. Will you go?"

"I don't know, Caroline…"

"It is a holiday… I could pay you double-time for your hours."

"Very tempting… but how can I impersonate a doctor?"

"You're always flaunting your education… just make up some gobbledygook, no one will question you… Oops!"

"What?"

"My younger brother, Chris, is a doctor. You'd best avoid him. And to be extra safe, make up some especially obscure gobbledygook."

"And we're supposed to be dating?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, Caroline, I don't know. That would involve touching and showing affection, you know I don't do well with that sort of thing."

"Oh, Richard…" responded a frustrated Caroline. "I don't have cooties!"

"I don't know…"

"Richard… It'll be easy… Look." With that, Caroline acted on her previous frustration and did something she had been thinking about for three days. She reached out, pulled him to her, and kissed Richard on the lips. At first, Richard just stood there, shocked. Then he began to respond. Timidly at first, but then more passionately. The more they kissed, the more they forgot about everything else in the world, and thought only of each other, in that moment. Caroline started to get a tingly feeling – first in her toes, then traveling up her body. Her knees began to weaken. Only when Richard's passion became obvious… too **painfully** obvious, did he find the strength to push Caroline away.

"I… guess… I could… manage… to fake that…" gasped Richard.

"Whew…! You're very… convincing" Caroline managed to get out. "Okay, then… You're coming?" Richard nodded weakly. "Let's leave from here tomorrow at nine o'clock. You have any upscale clothes to wear?"

"Just what I wear to job interviews."

"Good, bring those."

As he left, Richard wondered _"Uh-oh… What am I getting myself into?"_

******

On the flight to Green Bay (from where Fred, Caroline's father would pick them up and take them to Peshtigo), Caroline drilled Richard on what to say to her relatives.

"Okay, remember Richard: You're a doctor with a successful practice, you have a nice apartment in the city, but you eventually want to settle down and have kids, and move out to the suburbs. You have a Porsche, and you love the holidays with your family, and only because you're fairly serious about our relationship are you spending your first Christmas away from them. You're passionate about me, but – and this is very important, especially if you're talking to my mother – we've never gone all the way. She thinks I'm still a virgin."

"You're not…?" Richard enquired, feigning shock.

"Shaddup" Caroline retorted.

"So… This stuff is important to you – the prestige, the money, the house, the car?"

"It's important to my relatives, Richard."

"What about you?"

"I – I – I guess so. That's what I've always imagined my dream man would be like. And that he'd be passionate about me, of course."

"Oh" replied Richard, trying to hide his disappointment. _"I was a fool to think that Caroline could fall for someone like me. I'm nothing at all like what she wants in a man."_

******

Surprisingly, Richard was enjoying himself with the Duffy clan. They meant nothing to him, so he didn't care what they thought of him. And for once, everyone wanted to be nice to him. After all, he was quite a catch who might get 'their little Caroline' to finally settle down. Predisposed to liking Richard, he found it easy to impress them. Not being constrained by the truth did that. In fact, Richard amused himself by seeing what ridiculous lies he could come up with. Additionally, the fact that Caroline felt the need to frequently display her affection for him in public made the time even more enjoyable.

On the other hand, Caroline was miserable. She smiled gamely through it all, and no one knew how she really felt. No one except Richard, who could read her like an open book. Caroline had thought that bringing a 'boyfriend' home would lessen the subtle pressure on her to conform to their expectations. Instead, it was even worse than before. And she had another worry to contend with: The fear that Richard would somehow blow their cover.

---

After the Duffy family feast, all the relatives and guests gathered together to mix and talk in the festively decorated Duffy living room. Richard and Caroline mingled with her relatives. Each kept one ear open to the other's conversation, to make sure they didn't get any wires crossed.

 "So, Doc… What's your last name again?"

"Karinsky."

"So, Doc Karinsky, I hear you and our little Caroline are getting pretty serious, huh?"

Richard responded with an ambiguous "Hmmm" and head nod.

"So, what kinda doctor are you, anyway?"

"I'm a, uh… a cuticologist."

"So what's a cuti-… a cuti-…?"

"A cuticologist."

"What's that?"

"I treat toenail fungus."

"Oh." _"Uggggh!!"_ the man thought. "So, Doc is the, uh, toenail fungus business very lucrative?"

"Oh, sure. I've practically cornered the market in New York. 'Come to Karinsky's – There's no fungus among us!' Pretty catchy, huh?"

"Uh, yeah… Excuse me, Doc. I gotta go over there…" said the man as he hurried away.

Richard chuckled inwardly. _"That's so disgusting, it'll drive anyone away before they get suspicious."_

---

 "So, Caroline… I hear you brought a doctor!" Aunt Edna excitedly exclaimed.

"That's right, Aunt Edna. His name is Richard, he's over there" said Caroline, pointing him out.

"Can we expect to hear wedding bells any time soon?"

"Aunt Edna…" said Caroline, displaying her ringless hand. "He hasn't proposed."

"Better not let him get away, dear. A doctor's quite a catch. Use your feminine charms to reel him in, if you know what I mean."

Like a little girl reciting her lessons, Caroline responded "Yes, Aunt Edna."

"And did you hear, my Janey had her third child, a son. You'd better get with it, you're falling behind."

"Yes, Aunt Edna…"

---

"So, Doc, I've visited New York before. Whereabouts in the city do you live?"

Richard followed Caroline's guidelines – that is: Lie, lie, lie. He started with a tiny fib, and kept on going 'til he ended up with some pretty big whoppers. "Oh… I stay at a place by Central Park… Directly adjacent to the park, actually… In a condo tower… I have a penthouse suite… Yeah, the view is fantastic."

"I bet that's great. I mean, you're in the center of the city, near all the action, but at the end of the day, you can relax, above it all, away from the noise and pollution far below you."

"Yeah, it's really nice not to be bothered with the sirens and the crackle of gunfire from busted drug deals anymore…" Richard replied wistfully. Uncle Magnus gave Richard a funny stare. "Oh, I used to live in a bad neighborhood when I was going to college."

---

"So, Caroline…?"

"Yes, Grandma Duffy?"

"Are you and this doctor fella gonna start having babies right away?"

"We're not engaged, Grandma."

"'Cause you know, you're not getting' any younger. You want to be young enough to enjoy your life after your kids leave the nest."

Caroline was embarrassed and reluctant to say much. "Grandma…"

"He's fully armed, isn't he? 'Cause if he's not, I've got some home remedies that'll fire him right up. You know, you take some witch hazel and you rub it on his…"

"Grandma…!" Caroline, her face beet red, interrupted her grandmother. "Excuse me, I have to talk to Richard about something."

Caroline walked over, took Richards arm, and dragged him away from the living room to the dining room.

Softly, so that only Richard could hear, she screamed "HEEELP!!!!"

Richard chuckled. "What's the matter? Relatives getting to you?"

Caroline appeared depressed and sighed. "I thought if I brought a 'boyfriend', the pressure would be off – or at least lessen a little. Boy, was I wrong! It's like, now they almost see the finish line in sight, they're even more anxious to get me married off and have kids."

"Isn't that what you want – I mean, eventually?"

"Sure it is – eventually. But nobody even asks one question about what I'm doing now, what my life is like. It's as if… as if my life has no worth, no meaning until I 'settle down'. Nothing I do on my own matters, the only thing that does matter is if I 'snare' a husband and raise kids."

"Well, your relatives seem to like me. One uncle even offered me a great deal if I ever wanted to buy a tractor. Of course, it's not **me** they actually like. I mean, I've been lying through my teeth, I don't think one thing I've told them about me is true. Oh, I take that back, I gave them my real name."

That raised Caroline's spirits a little. She chuckled "Thanks, Richard. You're the best… Well, shall we go back out there and do battle once more?"

"If we must."

---

Richard found lying to strangers liberating in a way. He was enjoying himself, people actually looked up to him. "Yes, I have a car, but driving is just beastly in the city. And don't get me started about parking… that's why I always use valet parking whenever possible."

"What kind of car do you drive?"

"A… A Porsche Carrera. Yeah, that's it, a Carrera… I get a new one every year, I like that 'new car' smell… a Porsche really is wasted in the city… That's why Caroline and I like to get away every weekend that we can, to Connecticut or Atlantic City, sometimes Vermont... Yep, that baby really hums on the open road."

"I'll bet!"

---

"So Caroline?"

"Yes, cousin Cindy?

"Are you gonna quit drawing your little cartoons when you get married?"

"Well…"

"You're gonna be pretty busy after you get married, especially after you have kids. You won't have time for all your little hobbies anymore."

Richard had heard what Cindy had said, and looked over to see that Caroline's face was as downcast as he could ever remember.

"Of course, I'm lucky with my Phillip. Some husbands don't like for their wives to have hobbies, they feel it take the wife's attention away from their wifely and motherly duties."

_"Alright, enough already, that's it!"_ thought Richard. He walked over by the fireplace and raised his voice. "Attention…! People…! I want to say something."

Caroline rushed over, and in a soft voice warned "Richard??!! What are you doing??!!"

He replied softly "Something that should've been done two hours ago, Caroline."

Richard raised his voice again. "I have an announcement to make: I am not Caroline's boyfriend. Although anyone lucky enough to have her should count his lucky stars. She's a beautiful, intelligent, funny, successful, and most importantly, caring woman. But none of that seems to matter to any of you. All that seems to matter is that she 'catch' a successful husband and raise kids. Well, I'm no 'catch', I'm only her poor assistant. For some reason, Caroline felt the need to bring a 'boyfriend' along to placate you. I don't know why, because she shouldn't have to. She's wildly successful on her own, her comic strip is nationally syndicated, and her greeting cards are sold throughout the country. And do you know why? It's because she puts her whole heart into her 'little hobby'. You probably think she just rolls out of bed, scribbles a joke, and spends the rest of the day shopping. Let me tell you something: She goes to sleep wondering how she could have made the day's strip better, and wakes up afraid that she'll never have another idea. The first thing she does each morning is have a cup of coffee and read her strip. It's not just what she does, it's who she is. And although your comments are well-meaning, they end up being hurtful. Because, in pushing so hard for Caroline to have your idea of a wonderful life, you're totally ignoring the wonderful person that's standing in front of you."

When Richard stopped, it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

"Excuse me, I have to go out to the porch and get some air."

As Richard left, there were murmurs of "What was that all about?", "Well, I never!", and "Is what he said true, Caroline?" But all Caroline could think was "_Wow… Somebody who actually **gets** me."_ She went after him and called out "Richard!"

Caroline caught up to him on the porch.

"Richard!"

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I've ruined your holiday. I should've just kept my big mouth shut, but I couldn't take it anymore… Well, you don't have to pay me for my time on this trip, I didn't hold up my end of the bargain… In fact, if you want to fire me, I'd completely understand."

Caroline took Richard's hand. "Richard, no… You were wonderful. Everything you said, I should've said long ago, but I just didn't have the guts. Paying you to come on this trip is the best money I've ever spent."

"Really?"

"Come here, you." Caroline put her hand behind Richard's head, pulling it towards her, and they began to kiss…

******

The day after Christmas, Caroline and Richard walked to their seats on the airplane hand-in-hand. After they seated themselves, they lovingly gazed into each other's eyes.

"So" asked Richard "Where do we go from here?"

"Although you know me better than the man I dated for years and was about to marry, we've still only known each other for less than a month. I think we should take it slow. When we get back to New York, what would you say if we started dating?"

"That would be nice… Besides, it would give Salty more of a chance to get used to me… and Annie."

Caroline chuckled "I think Annie hoped that you were a bad dream that would go away with the new year."

Richard mused "This is by far the most _interesting_ Christmas that I've ever had."

Caroline quipped "Yep, another Christmas has come and gone. Santa can rest for a few months."

"Speaking of 'Santa' – I wonder how Chris is doing. He has such a 'Santa' delusion, he might have tried something foolish on Christmas Eve – like stealing milk and cookies, or trying to squeeze down a chimney. I hope he's okay."

Caroline was also concerned. "When we get back to New York, I'll go back with you to your apartment to check."

"Okay, Caroline". Richard chuckled when another stray though crossed his mind.

"What's so funny?" Caroline asked.

"I was just thinking – I made some wishes to 'Santa', and they all came true."

"Like what?"

"Well, I wished that a particular cop not bother me, and Chris covered for me. I wished that someone would appreciate and pay me for my artistic talent… and you did." Richard gave Caroline a short kiss. Richard smiled at Caroline and thought_ "Not to mention, I wished for my sincere amore… and here you are."_

"That's funny. Now that I think about it, the same thing happened to me" replied Caroline. "I wished for a new colorist, and got one. And I wished for a man to accompany me to Wisconsin to meet my relatives." Caroline smiled at Richard and thought _"Not to mention, I wished for the man of my dreams… and here you are."_

Epilogue

Upon reaching Richard's apartment, Kris was nowhere to be found.

"Uh-oh, I was afraid of this" said Richard. "I hope he's not in trouble. C'mon, let's go."

"Wait a minute! Where are we going, Richard? To the police station?"

"No, first I want to try Bond Street, Brooklyn, the Salvation Army homeless shelter. That's where Chris was staying before I brought him home with me."

"Okay, Richard" answered Caroline as they hurried out the door.

******

When Richard and Caroline got to the shelter, they asked for one of the Salvation Army officers in charge. When he appeared, he asked "May I help you?"

Caroline replied "Yes. We're looking for Chris Glenrik."

"Chris Glenrik…? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the gentleman."

"He stayed here through the first week of December" added Richard. "He's an older man, with white hair and a long thick beard, and he's… well, let's just say he quite weight-challenged."

"I'm sorry, I just don't recall a man fitting your description being here at the beginning of December. Although we have a number of beds at this facility, I'd remember a man like that, 'cause we look for those types to play Santa and ring bells at our collection kettles."

"Well, Chris did play Santa. Though not for the Salvation Army, but for Macy's. He says he's so good at it, that Macy's hires him every year. That's where I met him at, and offered to let him stay at my apartment for awhile."

"Wait a minute. Macy's – the one on 34th Street? He plays Santa there every year?"

"Yeah…?" replied Richard.

"Are you pulling my leg, or did someone pull yours?"

"Why…? What are you saying?"

"Kris Glenrik… it's an anagram for Kris Kringle."

Caroline and Richard both turned to each other, their faces registering surprise, then realization.

"So it is, so it is" replied Richard. "Thank you, sir."

After the Salvation Army officer left, Caroline smiled the smile of a lapsed believer who has rediscovered faith. "Let's go, Richard."

"In a sec, Caroline. There's something I have to do first." Caroline stared at Richard, puzzled.

Richard looked upwards, took a deep breath, and shouted "Kris, if you can hear me, **I BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS!!!"**

Everyone in the shelter turned to look at the crazy man shouting. To say that Caroline was in complete shock would be an understatement. All she could do was utter "Richard…?"

Richard turned to her, smiled at her befuddlement and questioned "What…? Don't you believe…?"

Caroline could only smile and nod.

"Merry Christmas, Caroline." He gave her a quick kiss and gazed contentedly into Caroline's eyes, amazed at his good fortune.

Caroline replied "Merry Christmas, Richard".

The smiled at each other, then turned and walked away from the shelter arm in arm.

Once they had gotten outside, Caroline happily exclaimed "Look Richard, it's snowing! I love it when it snows, it makes the city seem all white and sparkly and clean."

Richard smiled again. He had smiled more in that one night than in the past two years.

They had only gone a little ways before Caroline stopped again. "Listen Richard, can you hear that…?"

"What…?"

Barely discernable over the wind, Kris's familiar voice could be heard from the night sky calling out "Ho, ho, ho!" accompanied by the jingle of sleigh-bells.

---

**MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!**

**The End**


End file.
